Author's Note: This is a story that will have trigger warnings involving abuse and drug use.
Marley Rose walked through the halls of her newest high school, trying to find her classrooms. It was easier to get through days around so many humans when she already knew how to get to a class. Her mother had managed to get a job working as a lunch lady. But Marley knew that it was really just her mom trying to look after her in their new home.
The last school—well, when Marley's abilities were exposed, they had had to pack up everything and leave town. She was different from girls her age. Just because she didn't have her wings yet didn't mean that she was anything less than what her mom loved to call her: her angel.
Wings didn't come until angels came of age and not until after they had helped a person's life significantly. Marley had always been kind to people but she felt like here, in Lima? She had a chance to do some real good, especially in her new neighborhood. Her two-story house seemed to stand out in Lima Heights Adjacent but it was on the edge of the neighborhood. Just from what she'd heard from her bedroom window at night? It wasn't the nicest place. Apparently no one was supposed to mess with someone named Lopez that spoke fluid Spanish.
One of the actual benefits of being an angel was there wasn't any language barrier. One of the downfalls of being an angel was that there hadn't been any language barrier when the girl had gone shouting at one of the men for grabbing her butt. Marley truly didn't need to hear 'chingada' that often.
Now as she walked through the empty school on a Sunday afternoon, she was glad for the solace. As far as she could hear when she focused, there was no one but her and her mom in the school. Well, them and some teacher in a music room of some sort.
After she'd found her last class for tomorrow, she gravitated towards where the music was coming from. Whenever she focused on one sense over the other, its strength grew. Right now when she focused on her hearing, she could hear a heartbeat and the rustle of papers on the other side of a door down the hall from where she stood. There wasn't any harm in going to check it out. She had already planned on getting involved in the Glee club after all.
Jake Puckerman sat down in front of the piano. His clothes smelled like cigarette smoke and weed thanks to his father's friends. After just an hour of being stuck in the house without his mom home too offset his fathers visit, Jake had climbed out his window and down the fire escape to get some fresh air. The only time his father actually visited was when he was ditching his actual family, the one with the woman he was married two with a son and a daughter. Jake knew it but he and his mom couldn't do anything to get him out of their place. His mom never wanted to call the cops on Isaac; he just came and went as he pleased.
Jake despised the man. Even though he spent a lot of time wishing his skin was lighter to fit in with the white kids in Glee club, whenever his father came around, he wished his skin was darker to hide the scars he left behind. His ribs felt sore from the hit he'd gotten as a greeting. Isaac always made sure to leave marks where no one would see unless Jake showed them. It made changing in the locker room for basketball practice difficult. And today? It made singing almost impossible.
His fingers moved over the ebony and ivory keys before him. Brad would probably flip his shit if he knew someone was touching his piano but Jake was beyond caring at that point. What he needed was the music to drown out the world.
His mom always talked about church and how Jake could go there for sanctuary. But from what he knew about God? Well, he didn't want another father in his life, even if he was the Father.
Luckily, McKinley wasn't hard to break into considering that there weren't any video cameras keeping track of the campus. All it took was getting past one fence and one lock and he was inside. Now it was just him, the music, and a place where he didn't have to be afraid or act tough.
"Some things we don't talk about, rather do without and just hold the smile," he sang quietly, pausing mid-verse so he could cough into his shoulder. He shook it off and pushed down the ache in his side. "Falling in and out of love, same damn problem, together all the while… You can never say never while we don't know when. But time and time again, younger now than we were before—" Jake's voice was cut short by another cough, his fists clanging against the keys in chords of discord. "God damn it!" he growled, trying to dispel some of his anger.
He pulled back from the piano and stood up, pulling off his leather jacket to toss onto the bench. His body ached to move into a flowing dance move but he wouldn't be able to bend like that. Everything that calmed him down was gone, all from a visit and a punch from his piece-of-shit father.
"Son of a—" The word died in his throat as the door to the choir room opened and a pair of bright blue eyes cut into his consciousness. They didn't seem afraid but worried as they took in the choir room before settling on Jake. He was disarmed from the warmth he felt in her gaze. She wasn't any girl that he recognized from the school. And Jake could have sworn that he knew every girl, even the freshmen.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed before licking his lips, already thinking of excuses out of this situation. But instead of acting guilty, he turned it on the girl. "Who are you? What are you doing here, the school's closed," he said, though it came out softer than he'd planned it to.
Most people would have turned around and walked away from the sound of someone else's anger, but Marley knew that if there was something she could do to help, she had to do it. It was part of her duty as an angel. Well, angel in training since she hadn't grown her wings yet. But she was still only 15 and any angel she'd ever heard of had gotten their wings when they turned 16.
Her footsteps sped even after the sound of the piano had already died. She took in a breath and opened the door to look inside. After sweeping her eyes over the room, they came to rest on a boy about her age. Marley blinked her eyes and stepped into the choir room. His eyes looked pained in a way that she never liked to see in a person. There was something so innocent about him that the only thing she could think to compare him to was a scared, kicked puppy.
All it took was that moment of looking at him, and Marley knew that he was her reason to be in Lima. His question didn't take her off guard but she wondered the same of him. "I'm Marley, Marley Rose. My mom works here, she just started." She stepped until she was standing beside the piano and pulled the cover over the keys before looking back up at him. His heartbeat was still rather fast but it seemed to be from anger rather than fear.
Marley… that's a pretty name. But if her mom works here, why haven't I— Oh, she's knew.
His thoughts came through like a voice on a clear radio station to her once she focused on them. "I didn't catch your name," she hinted, putting on a small smile for him.
Crap, smooth move, dude. Real smooth.
"I'm Jake, just Jake," he emphasized.
"It's nice to meet you, Jake," she said warmly. "Was that you that was just singing?"
His brow furrowed at her question and she understood his confusion when she heard his thoughts. How could she hear me over the piano? With the door closed?
"Uh yeah, yeah, it was," he nodded, reaching his hand back to rub his neck. It seemed like he didn't want to leave but not for any reason Marley could find evident.
"You've got a great voice. You're really talented," she smiled at him. The leather jacket on the piano, the short haircut and the chiseled physique… Something about all of that just seemed to suggest that Jake was throwing up walls to shut people out. Marley wondered if he ever let anyone in. But when her phone buzzed in her pocket with a text from her mom saying it was time to leave, she gave Jake an apologetic look. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow in class?"
"Yeah, maybe," he said, stepping forward like he wanted her to stay. "I'll keep my eye out for you." Before someone else gets your attention.
"Bye then," she said, trying to hide her amusement and excitement at the tone his thoughts had taken. She turned to walk back towards the kitchens, wondering if Facebook would actually help her mission this time like it had in the past. The more she knew about him, the more she would be able to learn how she could help. Marley already knew that she wanted to help Jake, to break down his walls.
But most of all, she wanted to be the one to take that hurt look out of his eyes.